Stalking case revisited in cable TV documentary

FORT WAYNE —
Fort Wayne resident Dawn Hillyer’s story is going national next week, when the cable channel Investigation Discovery broadcasts a documentary about her and her stalker Michael McClellan.

Last summer, a film crew came to Fort Wayne to film Hillyer and those involved in prosecuting the case against McClellan. The show “Stalking: Someone’s Watching” makes its fourth-season debut at 10 p.m. Monday. The episode is titled “Twist of Hate.”

In March 2012, the 44-year-old McClellan was sentenced to 10 years in prison after a jury convicted him of stalking Hillyer through thousands of phone calls, text messages, emails and other encounters.

The two met on Match.com in 2004 and casually dated for about a year. Eleven months later, however, McClellan began harassing her in earnest. By the end of 2006, in spite of protective orders and repeated requests to stop, McClellan’s obsession was tormenting Hillyer.

Shortly after McClellan’s conviction and sentencing, Hillyer expressed a desire to share her story with other stalking victims and raise awareness, not only among the general public but in law enforcement as well.

Hillyer said Friday she is excited about the opportunity.

“I feel so honored to be the person who is giving this a voice,” she said.

Her story shows that persistence pays, she said. She credited police officers, prosecutors, family and friends who helped get her to this point.

Next week, Hillyer will be traveling to New York City with Fort Wayne Police detective Lorrie Bandor to tape an episode of Katie Couric’s talk show dealing with this topic.